Hame-tug fastener



(Np Hoel.)

J. s. GILMAN. HAME TUG PASTBNBR. A No. 563,159.v Patented June 30, 1896,

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JAMES S. GILMAN, OF TECUMSEH, MICHIGAN.

HAM E-TUG FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,159, dated J' une30,- 1896. Application filed September 14, 1891. Renewed May 2, 1894.Serial No. 509,848. (No model.)

T @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, JAMES S. GILMAN, of Tecumseh, county of Lenawee, andState of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inan Adjustable Hame- Tug Fastener; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to an adjustable hame-tug fastener, and has for itsobject to provide a neat and inexpensive connection between the hame andthe tug, whereby the length of the latter can 'be readily adjusted toiit the harness to horses of varying sizes, or, to thills or poles ofdifferent lengths, with means for securing the adjustable parts inplace.

The invention consists in the parts and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a hame-tug and tug-iron in an adjustedposition. Fig. 2 isa plan view of the tug-iron connected with the tug.Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tugiron, the shank and tug being shownin section. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on lines yy y, Fig. 1,showing the screw tapped through Y the casing and bearing upon the tugto hold the same from longitudinal movement within the casing. Fig. 5 isan inside plan view of the tug-fastener, the backing being removed,showing a preferred form of attachment for securing the stud in place.

1 designates the casing formed with a loop 2 at one end for connectionwith the portion of the tug 3, which is attached to the same, and aface-plate 4, from which depends a plurality of hangers 5, havingangular perforated plates 6, to which a backing of leather or of thinmetal 7 is secured by means of rivets 8. By this construction there isformed a casing for the reception of the tug and tugiron to be presentlydescribed.

Face-plate 4 is formed with a series of openings 9 of a peculiarformation, there being a circular portion 10, and an elongatedrectangular portion 1l communicating therewith.

12 designates a tug-iron formed with a shank 13, which is secured in theend of the tug 14, by means of rivets 15, passed through the tug andshank, as shown in Fig. A1, the opposite end of the tug-iron beingformed with a stud 15', having a head 16, the lower flat surface ofwhich isv upon a line with the outer surface of face-plate 4, when thetug bears upon the inner side of the plate, and the greatest diameter ofthehead is equal to the inner circumference of the circular portion ofopening 9,\to allow the same to closely pass through the opening, thestuds being of a size to snugly fit within the rectangular opening 11.

1S designates a screw tapped through the casin g with one end bearingagainst the side of the tug, to hold the same from movement within thecasin g when the tug becomes slack by reason of the draft thereon beingrelieved when the vehicle or other object to which the team is hitchedis moving by gravity. This arrangement subserves a valuable purpose inthe heavier class of harness wherein the tugs are of a stiffness tocause them to move forward in a rectilinear line, when tension isremoved, as the enlargement 17 will cause the tug to bear upon the underside of the face-plate with sufficient friction to prevent a movementwithin the casing of a degree to cause the stud to pass out of theelongated slot and allow the head to pass out of the circular opening,thereby detaching the parts.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a preferred form of fastening in which the casingis formed with a depression around the opening to accommodate a spring19, which is secured at one end, as at 19', by soldering or in any othermanner, and having the parts 2O extending normally into the slot 11 tocontact with the stud 15' when it is inserted, the spring allowing it topass and then acting to hold the stud in place against back pressure, asbefore stated.

What I claim is A hame-tug fastener comprising a casing formed of aface-plate having hangers at right angles thereto and perforated lugs atright angles to the hangers, a backing of IOO Io the slots to engage thestud, and a screw in one of the hangers which when screwed inward abutsagainst the side of the tug, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I hereby affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES S. GILMAN.

lVitnesses:

CHARLES BURRIDGE, J. W. VIGHTMAN.

